What Maine learned from its first ranked-choice election

Nominees in Maine’s top-tier political races in November are now set after the first statewide election to be decided by ranked-choice voting, and the results have given us a richer profile of how Democrats decided to elect their candidates.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Nominees in Maine’s top-tier political races in November are now set after the first statewide election to be decided by ranked-choice voting, and the results have given us a richer profile of how Democrats decided to elect their candidates.

Republicans didn’t need ranked-choice voting in the June 12 primary elections, nominating businessman Shawn Moody for the term-limited Gov. Paul LePage’s seat with 56.5 percent of votes in a first-round landslide, according to unofficial results from the Bangor Daily News.